A Kiss Before You Go
by samurai-ashes
Summary: Mokuba is expecting a special gift from Yuugi on his 15th birthday, but does Yuugi remember his promise? [complete]
1. Chapter One: July 1st

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter One: Saturday, July 1st**

_"So you won't kiss me because I'm still a kid, right?" _

_Yuugi nodded, smiling nervously. "Yeah. But if your brother asks, then it's because I don't like you; I don't need to give Kaiba another reason to dislike me." _

_Mokuba bit his lip and thought, leaning back into the grass. The sun's rays beat down on his face, and he had to close his eyes. "I'll be twelve tomorrow, you know." _

_"Still, that's really young." _

_"Yeah, yeah, I know. But… what about when I'm fifteen? Will that still be too young?" _

_"Well… I guess not, but that's three years – are you sure you'll still want a kiss in three years?" _

_Mokuba shrugged. "I bet I will. If I don't, then we don't have to… but on fifteenth birthday, I want my kiss then." He frowned as Yuugi laughed, and he turned his head, squinting his eyes enough to see Yuugi grinning. "I'm serious." _

_"Sure; if you still want that kiss in three years, then I'll give you a proper one on your birthday." _

_"Promise?" Mokuba sat up and faced Yuugi, his back to the sun. As if humoring him, Yuugi turned too, facing Mokuba. _

_"Yeah, I promise. I'll even shake on it." He held his hand out, and Mokuba took it eagerly. _

_"So… I can't even have a little one?" _

_Yuugi laughed again and ruffled Mokuba's hair, standing. "I need to go; I'll see you later."_

--

Mokuba grinned, leaning down on his desk, hair hiding his face, pencil running furiously over the paper – doodling little stick figures in place of doing actual work. He couldn't help it; concentrating at Kaiba Corp – which was where he was spending his current Saturday afternoon – was getting harder and harder as of late.

After all, it was only a week until his fifteenth birthday.

Mokuba scowled at the little stick figures, trying to draw some semblance of what that scene three years ago might have looked like to a random person passing by. Of course, Yuugi's head looked more like a porcupine than anything else. Then again, his hair in the drawing didn't look much better. Finally he gave up, crumbled up the drawing, and threw it towards the wastebasket. It missed, adding another paper ball to the collection he had come up with in the past two hours. He was supposed to be doing some double-checking, really; Seto decided he wasn't old enough to do anything else yet. Mokuba couldn't wait until he WAS old enough – glorified proofreading for memos and programs wasn't very interesting, and he often felt more like a secretary than someone who was supposed to eventually run the company by Seto's side.

_One step at a time, grasshopper…_ Mokuba thought, pushing his hair back from his face and looking over the memo that was currently on the computer screen. Luckily, before he could actually work on it, someone entered his little office.

"Okay, so what have you got done?" Dai asked, a pile of documents in one hand. Dai was more or less his well-paid babysitter within Kaiba Corp –Seto claimed that it wasn't that he didn't trust Mokuba, but he wanted to make sure that trouble didn't find him. Mokuba knew better; she checked on him every couple of hours, was constantly looking over his files, and reported to Seto throughout the day.

She was a babysitter.

"Nothing," he admitted. "Absolutely nothing; I'm too busy thinking about my birthday party."

"Ooh, is Kaiba-san actually letting you have a party?"

Mokuba nodded, leaning back in his chair and twirling a pencil in his right hand. "Yup; we're taking tomorrow off to go out and get all the supplies and stuff – it's going to be great." Not that he was about to tell her why it would be so great. He liked her and all, but she might tell Seto, and the older Kaiba would freak out if he knew that half of Mokuba's ambition behind the party was getting Yuugi alone. Or in front of the guests – Mokuba wasn't picky, he just wanted his kiss.

In all actuality, Mokuba was well aware that it was ridiculous to wait so long for a kiss – especially when said kiss hadn't been discussed in years. At first Mokuba had made it a point to remind Yuugi whenever he saw him – which was usually in random weekly intervals – but eventually he had stopped bringing it up; he was too worried about making Yuugi mad by talking about it. So, he had let the topic rest in silence for nearly two and half years.

But his day was coming. Oh yes, his day was coming.

Meanwhile, time was slipping by while he sat in his office thinking about it. He sighed. "Ah hell, Dai, here's the plan; I'm going to go down to the arcade and see if I can't meet some friends there."

Dai's tone went from playful to serious in an instant. "Now wait just one minute – "

"You don't gotta cover for me; if Seto asks, just tell him I couldn't take the pressure and needed some air. I'll take the heat for it when I see him tonight." Mokuba was already standing. Luckily, he had been too lazy to dress overly nice that morning; he was wearing typical jeans and a t-shirt… Nice jeans and a t-shirt, though, or Seto would've had his hide – brothers or no, Mokuba was still his employee.

"You're not shaping up to be much of a businessman," Dai scolded, clicking her tongue and turning to leave.

"I've got a few years," Mokuba retorted, following behind her. She retreated to her desk in the lobby, and Mokuba stood in his doorway. He looked left, right, left again, looking for any sign that Seto was wandering the halls – the last thing he needed was to be caught. When he finally thought it was safe he left the doorway and made a break for the elevator; his tennis shoes squeaked a bit on the pristine floors, but he was so close…

"Hold it right there!" Seto snapped, and Mokuba stopped dead in his tracks, nearly falling forward. "And where are you going?"

Mokuba turned and faced Seto. At 20, his brother didn't look much different; he hadn't gotten any taller (Mokuba was often put-out that Seto was so tall, and yet he was just average for his age), and he didn't eat enough to get any heavier. He wore a pair of black slacks and a white shirt, and he crossed his arms over his chest the same way he always had as he stared Mokuba down – the very image of intimidation and bossy dominance. "Well, Niisama, it's like this…" Mokuba bit his lower lip, trying to come up with a decent excuse.

Nothing.

"I'm bored!" he finally protested. "I don't want to spend Saturday cooped up in the office proofreading memos! And it's almost my birthday, and I can't concentrate, so please, please, please let me go?"

Seto sighed and covered his face a bit with his hand, eyes falling closed, as though he didn't want to make eye contact with Mokuba. "Weren't you the one who wanted more active work?"

"Proofreading isn't my idea of active." Mokuba slowly started backing his way towards the elevator; just a couple of feet…

"Fine," Seto relented. "But I want you to know how spoiled you are – today, tomorrow…"

Mokuba launched forward and clasped his brother tightly, grinning. Seto wasn't able to resist Mokuba's little brother charms. "Thanks! I swear, on Monday I'll come in after school and get loads done, okay? Bye!" He made his way into the elevator before Seto could change his mind.

He made it the arcade in one piece, and a quick look-over revealed something much better than he had hoped. He didn't just have friends at the arcade, but Yuugi and his friends were there. Anzu was the first to spot him, waving him over, and he took the invitation. Yuugi was hunched over a fighting game with Jounouchi, mashing buttons and throwing random insults at Jounouchi, to which the blond retaliated just as enthusiastically. Mokuba always loved watching them bond; they could get as funny as Jounouchi and Honda.

"Dude, I am going to kick your ass from here to – Hey, Mokuba!" Jounouchi said, turning away from his game. Yuugi let out a shout of victory and turned to look at Mokuba as well. Jounouchi's face twitched in irritation; he'd probably been getting his ass kicked all day.

"Hey! Jou move, I'm gonna take him on," Mokuba said, cracking his knuckles.

"No way," Jounouchi replied stubbornly, turning back to the game; Yuugi laughed and did the same. "I'm not moving until I beat him, if only once."

Mokuba rolled his eyes and turned to Anzu. She was giggling behind her hand. "He's so stubborn," Mokuba sighed, then pulled Jounouchi back a little by his stool, just enough so Mokuba could sit on his knees, effectively taking his place in the game. Yuugi cast a sidelong glance at them, but shook his head and turned back to the game.

He beat Mokuba. Twice.

"See?" Jounouchi gloated. "And I bet you thought you could do better…"

"He did do better, Jou," Anzu teased, bopping him on the head. "So, Mokuba, what's up? Shouldn't you be at work?"

"Yeah," Jounouchi replied. "Did the self-proclaimed master of the universe set you free?"

"More like I begged him into it, but sure; I couldn't take it today." Mokuba stood and stretched. He tried not to make eye contact with Yuugi; he couldn't bring himself to do it. Every time he looked at the other male, he imagined what kissing him for the first time would be like. Mokuba had certainly thought about it often enough over the years, and now it was just a week away from happening… "Say, my birthday's next week, and you guys are invited to the party."

"Really? That's awesome!" Anzu said. "Which day?"

"Friday at five," Mokuba replied. "I'll get you guys something formal, in writing, later. But Niisama is letting me have an actual party, since I'm turning fifteen." Mokuba tried not to emphasize the word 'fifteen' too much. "I somehow managed to convince him that it's a big deal."

"That's great," Yuugi replied with a grin. "We'll be there."

"Thanks!" _Don't hug him, don't hug him, don't…_ Mid-mantra, Jounouchi did the job for him, tackling Yuugi and hanging on him from behind, arms around Yuugi's shoulders; the smaller male nearly buckled under the weight, but grinned and held up. Mokuba raised an eyebrow; he didn't remember them being quite THAT cuddly…

He sighed internally. He'd done what he needed to do – the invitation was extended, and Yuugi would be there. From there, it was only a matter of time… and Mokuba was willing to wait.

**-end chapter 1-**

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**notes**   
hardkore thanks to elsalhir for playing beta on this one. love! 3  
  
Otherwise... I can't think of much to say. This is mostly a fluffy story, because there is not enough YuugixMokuba. insert dramatic weeping here and sad, sad violin music And this one is totally for darkmus, because... well, it's all her fault. XD 


	2. Chapter Two: July 2nd

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter Two: Sunday, July 2nd**

Mokuba looked back at his brother, standing just inside the doorway of the party shop, looking around as though he was in some sort of medieval torture chamber. "Niisama, feel free to come in here and help me pick out some stuff for the party," he teased, gesturing for his brother to come closer. 

"Like I know what you need for a party," Seto murmured, but moved to stand beside Mokuba anyway. For a while, the brothers just stood there, looking over the racks of streamers and balloons – if Mokuba knew Seto, though, the elder wasn't thinking about balloons and streamers. That was okay; neither was he. He was thinking about the one big flaw in his birthday plans: how to tell Seto about Yuugi. Mokuba supposed he could have just explained it to his brother after the fact, but he hadn't even tried to tell Seto that he liked boys at all. It had been one of those things that had been slipping his mind… for three years. 

Okay, so he had kept quiet at first because he was young, and he was a little worried that Seto would be able to talk him out of it; Seto could convince the gods that the sky was magenta, should he have gotten the chance. Then, after a while, it really had just slipped his mind, and then it simply hadn't seemed important. But finally, with the deadline approaching, Mokuba knew he had to say something… anything. 

"Well?" Seto prompted. "See anything that interests you?" 

"Am I too old for balloons?" Mokuba asked, looking at some black ones that said happy birthday. He wasn't any surer than his brother; the last birthday party he had been at was when he was nine, and he didn't want to celebrate like a nine year old. 

"Probably. Do you want balloons?" 

Mokuba bit his lip and looked them over. He could just get solid colored ones; that didn't seem too young. "Yeah, just a little bit." 

"Then get some balloons and stop worrying about it." 

With a grin Mokuba nodded and moved the basket in his hand, putting one pack of black balloons and one pack of blue ones. "What else…?" he mused out loud, putting a finger to his lips in thought. They didn't really need games; there were video games set up in the room they were having the party in, and people would be talking, undoubtedly. Not to mention most of the people he knew always found ways to entertain themselves, even if it ended up with Jounouchi and Honda seeing who would catch more food in their mouths – Mokuba had always found that amusing. 

To Mokuba's surprise, Seto added: "Candles for a cake, and maybe some of those," Seto gestured towards the paper streamers, "to make the living room look more festive." Mokuba nodded, and Seto ended up putting both items in the basket. "Anything else you can think of?" 

"I'm sure there's something…" Mokuba looked around. Somehow, when he was younger, the idea of a birthday party had been a lot more fun than actually trying to plan one. "We don't really need decorations for one day, though." 

"Do you want them?" 

"Not really," he replied, shaking his head. "I think this'll be enough." 

"Then lets go," Seto said, and they went to the cashier. "What do you want me to have the kitchen make?" Seto asked as they waited, and Mokuba bit his lip. 

"I dunno – you don't need to be so serious," he said, but Seto just shrugged. They made it to the car, and took off without saying anything. 

Seto's seriousness was one of the biggest worries for Mokuba; he was afraid that Seto would take something like a kiss too seriously – like if Yuugi kissed him, then Seto would demand that Yuugi stay with him forever. Mokuba was infatuated with Yuugi, yes, but he didn't know if he was going to spend forever with him, or any time at all – maybe they would kiss, and nothing would happen. 

Then again, that had Mokuba just as worried, and he found himself reviewing every what-if in his head during the ride home. 

"Are you okay?" Seto asked as he pulled into the garage, and Mokuba looked up. "For something you've been bugging me about for almost half a year, you're very subdued." 

"Huh… Oh! I'm fine," Mokuba answered dismissively. "I was just thinking, that's all. Hey…" He licked his lips, taking a deep breath. "Um, we need to talk." Of course, the second the words were out of his mouth, Mokuba wished they had never left – Seto looked at him like he expected Mokuba to report the end of the world. Then again, in Seto's world, maybe he was… 

"About what?" Seto asked calmly, switching off the car and stepping out. Mokuba grinned at him sheepishly and hopped out of the car. 

"You'll need to come inside to find out!" he answered before he shut the car door and made a break for it. If he made it look like he was playing around, maybe Seto would think it was all a big joke, and not follow him. Mokuba went to his room, tossing the bag on his bed and looking around. A part of him wanted to sit at his computer, and maybe feign that he was having some computer issue. No, that wouldn't work – he was capable of fixing those. Maybe he could come up with some embarrassing personal problem… 

Then again, his crush on Yuugi was an embarrassing personal problem. 

His eyes fell on his open closet door. On the top shelf was a game he had bought last time he and Seto were in the States – they had played it once or twice in the hotel, but it was pretty dull. 

LIFE. 

It was perfect. 

"Well?" Seto said, standing in the doorway. "What is it?" 

"One second." Mokuba went into the closet, standing up on his tiptoes to pull the game down. He held it out to Seto and grinned, looking at his brother's forlorn expression. "Let's play." 

"I hate that game; what does it have to do with talking?" 

"Please?" Mokuba pleaded. "I swear it'll all make sense." With an overdramatic sigh, Seto nodded, and Mokuba went onto his bed, sitting against the pillows and opening the box. He didn't look up as Seto sat down opposite of him. The board was between them, the cars were picked, and everything was in order. 

It was still really embarrassing. 

"You think you'll ever get married, Seto?" Mokuba asked. The way he saw it, maybe he could ease them into the topic, so that when it finally came up, it wouldn't be so hard. 

"In about four or five rounds." 

"That's not what I meant," Mokuba said, spinning the spinner. Four of five rounds… "I mean really." 

Seto shrugged. "I don't think about it. Why, are you planning to drop out of school and elope?" 

"What? No, no! I… never mind." 

"Something must be on your mind." 

"It is." 

They played silently for a while, and Mokuba saw the space coming: the space where he had to "get married." It was the perfect way to say what he felt without actually saying anything – visual representation. 

"Mokuba, are you going to say anything anytime soon?" 

Mokuba twirled the spinner – and there it was. He stopped the car in the red space and looked up at Seto. "You don't have a lot of thoughts about me getting married, do you?" 

Seto raised an eyebrow, and Mokuba could have sworn that he looked slightly worried. "None, why?" 

Mokuba reached for the box and picked a little blue piece that matched his own. He paused a second and then put it in the other front seat of the little plastic car. He looked up at Seto, who was looking at the car, his expression unreadable. _Say something, Niisama…_

"Trying to tell me something?" 

"Yeah." 

Seto spun. "Okay." While he moved his car, Mokuba stared, mouth agape. He was waiting for a tirade, or a 'but', or something other than 'okay.' 

"That's it?" he asked. 

There was a pause, and Mokuba was sure that was where Seto was forming his argument. All he said was, "Be careful." 

Well, Mokuba wouldn't argue with that. "Am I old enough to date?" That got him some reaction; Seto looked up at him, and their eyes met. The elder blinked. 

"I… do your classmates already date?" 

Mokuba nodded. 

"Then I guess so." 

"Great!" Mokuba all but leapt over the board, catching his brother around the shoulders and squeezing him. "You're the best, Niisama." 

"Just for that?" 

"No, for everything." He moved, looked at the mussed board on his bed. "You know what, I don't really want to play this game. How do you feel about going out for something to eat?" He stood and looked expectantly at his brother, who nodded. 

"Sure." Seto stood and strode towards the door. Mokuba was just about to breath a sigh of relief – how easy that had been! – when Seto called over his shoulder, "But over dinner, you're telling me who he is." 

Never mind a sigh of relief – Mokuba had a whole new battle to prepare for. He smiled sheepishly to himself and followed his brother out the bedroom door. "Deal." 

**-end chapter 2-**

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**notes**  
Ah! Cheesy as hell -- which is about the speed of this entire story: cheesy romance, eh? ;;;;;;;;; I just liked the idea of the life game, and of Kaiba having no clue how to handle all these things Mokuba is coming into (and Mokuba not being much more sure). So hopefully this wasn't too awful. 


	3. Chapter Three: July 3rd

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**

Chapter Three: Monday, July 3rd

**

Mokuba sighed as his teacher droned on and on about accounting – something Mokuba had never liked, and hoped he wouldn't need in the future. Instead, he was thinking about dinner the night before. All Seto had said about Yuugi was "to each his own" – it didn't sound good, but it was the closest thing to a blessing that Mokuba was going to get. It was more than he had expected. 

The bell rang, and Mokuba practically jumped out of his seat, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He didn't plan to go to his next class; he couldn't concentrate. Instead, he went to the front office; Anzu had taken over some the school's secretarial work, and if she was alone, she usually let him skip there. He waited until the bell rang to signal the beginning of class before entering. 

"Hello, how may I help…" Anzu looked up from what she was writing and grinned. "Hi! Shouldn't you be in class?" 

"I couldn't take it," Mokuba said, giving her a pathetic look. "Can I stay here for a while?" 

Anzu looked around, and said, "At least until you get caught." Mokuba grinned and dropped his bag by her desk, pulling out a chair. "So how have you been?" she asked. 

"Great – Niisama and I went out last night and got some decorations for Friday, and after work today I'm going to talk to the cook about what to make. How is everyone? I haven't had time to hang out with you guys in a while." 

"You haven't missed much," Anzu replied, looking at the papers she had been working on and turning to the computer. "Jou quit his job again, and decided to move out of his dad's apartment, so he's been staying at Yuugi's. Um… Nothing much other than that." 

"Oh." Mokuba wondered about Jounouchi – he and Yuugi had always been close… it seemed almost automatic that they would end up together. With Jounouchi living with Yuugi… There could have been some development over the past three years that he missed. 

"So," Anzu said cheerfully, typing as she talked, "what do you want for your birthday? I mean, what do you get the kid brother of Kaiba?" 

Mokuba laughed. "Actually, there are things I want that Niisama can't get me." 

"Oh? And what would those be?" 

"Well… to be about three inches taller, have better handwriting, more free time, and…" Come to think of it, if he was going to confide in someone, he couldn't think of anyone better – she had always been good to talk to. Not to mention that she was just as close to Yuugi as Jounouchi was, and she would know if there was someone else to be worried about. Mokuba scanned the office to make sure no one else was nearby before he leaned over the desk, softly adding, "and Yuugi." 

"What?" she practically squeaked, leaning forward onto her desk and grinning. "Are we talking that you want to spend more time with Yuugi, or you want him gift wrapped and – " 

"Anzu!" He felt a blush rush straight up to his ears, and despite the grin she was giving him, he managed to keep his eyes on Anzu. "You see, when I was twelve, I sort of… Well, I asked him to kiss me, and – " 

She giggled, of all things. "I didn't know about that! So, when you twelve, you and Yuugi…?" 

"Shh! And he said he wouldn't, because I was too young, but promised to give me a proper kiss on my fifteenth birthday." 

It was relief that Anzu's grin didn't fade – if anything, she looked even more amused. "It's like a love story," she said fondly. "Are you excited?" 

"Well, yeah," Mokuba replied with a smile. "But I'm worried, too; it's not like we've talked about it. I don't even know if he remembers, or if…" He didn't finish. It was easier to handle the fear of being Jounouchi's rival in love if he kept it to himself. 

"I see." She turned back to her work, tapping at the keyboard slowly, face turned away from him – it seemed odd. Maybe she had something to say; maybe she was trying to figure out to how to break it to him… "If you want, I can help." 

"Huh?" 

She turned to smile at him. "I have access to your grades, right?" 

"Isn't that an abuse of power?" 

Anzu rolled her eyes, reaching across the desk to bop him on the head. "It's not like I use it, but Yuugi doesn't know that. I could tell him that I know you're having trouble in a class – something he's halfway good at – and suggest he tutor you in that subject. That gives you time alone with him, and maybe you could talk to him." 

Mokuba smiled sheepishly at her. "You'd do that to help me?" 

"Yeah!" she said instantly, chuckling softly. "I wouldn't want to see you disappointed on your birthday, and I love a good romance." 

Mokuba leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and smiling. If she was helping, it had to be a good sign. "Thanks." 

"Alright," she replied, and he heard her go back to work at her computer. "I'll let you know as soon as possible how it goes. How is Kaiba taking it?" 

"Well, he – " 

A masculine voice cut in, "Kaiba-san?" Mokuba turned to look up, seeing of his teachers standing in the doorway; the older man didn't look pleased. Then again, it wasn't exactly the first time he'd been caught in trouble by that particular teacher. "Shouldn't you be in class?" 

"I – " 

"He had to take a phone call," Anzu cut in, her voice polite and authoritative. "He was just about to leave, correct?" 

Mokuba nodded quickly, standing and grabbing his bag. "Right. Thank you, An…" He looked over at his teacher, and amended, "Mazaki-san." He inclined his head in respect to his teacher as he passed him, breathing a sigh of relief once the door closed behind him. The last thing he needed was to get in trouble – it was just another thing he would have to worry about. He walked to his classroom, pausing outside the door and smiling. 

"Mokuba? Do you plan on coming in, or are you going to stand in the doorway all period?" 

Mokuba smiled sheepishly at his teacher – he hadn't even realized that he had opened the door. "Sorry; I was in the front office…" He went to his desk and sat down, taking out his notebook. 

All he could do was keep himself occupied and wait for Anzu. 

**-end chapter 3-**

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**notes**  
man. I've got absolutely nothing to say. thanks to elsalhir for the beta job! 


	4. Chapter Four: July 4th

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter Four: Tuesday, July 4th**

**I told Yuugi you needed help with English, since it's your lowest grade. He'll be waiting at the local library after school. Good luck!** There was a cute little winking smile drawn besides the message, but it did little to assure Mokuba. Sometimes, he wondered if life was really THIS complicated, or if he was just making it that way. 

English. He KNEW English; it was his favorite class to sleep through. Honestly, he had lived in the States on and off since he was eleven; he wouldn't have lasted ten minutes if he hadn't taken care to learn it. So that meant he was going to have to fake ignorance for his tutoring session with Yuugi. On the up side, he could use it to flirt a little. 

As it stood, he was sitting at a table in the library, thumbing through his English textbook and trying to formulate some plan. He could say something obscene and make up a lame-ass excuse like he'd learned it online and didn't know what it meant, or maybe he could just lead Yuugi around in circles with cute little sentences. That seemed the easiest, and there was a perfect chapter for that – he'd studied it a couple weeks ago... 

"Hi!" Yuugi said, sliding into the seat across from Mokuba. "Heard you've been having some trouble." 

"Just a little," Mokuba lied, flushing just slightly. At least it wasn't hard for him to act embarrassed – he WAS embarrassed. 

Yuugi grinned and reached across the table, taking the book from Mokuba. "No problem – this is one class I managed to pass. Which chapter?" 

Just what Mokuba had wanted him to ask. He resisted a little smirk and said, "Seven; we're working on description and social interaction. It's pretty basic, but I have little words I keep messing up." 

"Well, what exactly is the problem?" Yuugi asked, flipping to the correct page for chapter seven. "Vocabulary, constructions...?" 

And into the lion's den Yuugi went – it was working out too perfectly. "A little bit of everything; the sentences are built really differently. Body parts are difficult for some reason; I keep forgetting them. Like, if I met a nice foreigner, I wouldn't be sure how to say 'You have pretty eyes' or anything like that. I guess I don't get a lot of practice." It was lame, and even a little transparent, but it was all Mokuba had. It wasn't like he'd thought to ask Anzu for the finer points of flirting. 

But apparently, he was subtle enough to go straight over Yuugi's head – quite the feat, with the height of that hair – because the older male wrote 'E-Y-E' on a piece of paper he had taken from the book. Mokuba wasn't quite sure where the pen came from. "Well, how are your reading skills?" 

"Good enough – 'eye', right?" Mokuba faked a self-satisfied grin, and he earned himself a laugh from Yuugi. 

"Perfect. I had the same issue remembering stuff like this; it works best to relate it to a picture, I think. I remember this one because people have identical eyes, and the letter 'e' looks the same. Just think of the 'y' as a nose, and you've kind of got a face." 

Mokuba nodded, still grinning. "I get it!" It sounded overly complicated, but it wasn't as though Yuugi was a real teacher. "But pretty – I can't just look someone in the eye and tell them, 'You have eyes'. I want to be able to tell them that they're beautiful, not just existing." He made sure to look directly at Yuugi, hoping that there would be some emphasis... Buy Yuugi was biting his lip, looking up as though in thought. 

"Well... Like this: 'pretty'. Why so curious about the word pretty? Got someone special you're trying to impress with your superior intellect?" Yuugi winked, practically grinning from ear to ear. 

_You – did you forget?_ "Maybe," Mokuba replied with a smile, leaning over a bit to look down at the textbook. "So the proper sentence is like this – " Mokuba looked up at Yuugi, " – 'You have pretty eyes'." That at least left a small impression; Yuugi didn't speak right away, and Mokuba sat back in his seat, genuinely pleased with himself for the first time that day. Finally, it was starting to look like Yuugi wasn't oblivious after all... 

"That sounded perfect. Do you really need that much tutoring?" 

Mokuba shrugged. "I guess I'm doing better than I thought. I've been interested in this unit; it fits perfectly with as often as I've had to ask people if they're coming to my party on Friday. I even managed to ask the foreign student if he wanted to come." 

"Oh, really?" Mokuba couldn't help being proud of the impressed tinge to Yuugi's words; it made him feel noticed. And being noticed by Yuugi wasn't as easy as it seemed, especially in recent days. "Can you invite me in English?" 

"Sure. 'I want you...'" Mokuba paused, grinning and licking his lips, " '...to come over on Friday.'" He nodded and laughed. "See? Speaking of Friday, is there anything you'd suggest? I've never thrown a party before." 

"Well, don't try too hard; you don't need too much planning for a bunch of teenagers. But I'd just say have plenty of food; Jou can eat more than you could ever believe." They laughed, and Mokuba crossed his arms on to the table, laying his forehead against them – hopefully without looking as frustrated as he suddenly felt. Damn it, was there ever going to be a conversation between them without Jounouchi coming up? Every time he heard the blond's name, he felt a pit in his stomach, and he just wanted to pretend he hadn't heard anything. It was awful, because he really liked Jounouchi; that was mostly why he was afraid to be his rival – he wasn't so sure he could win. 

Suddenly, the whole flirting plan felt stupid, even pathetic – Mokuba wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. 

"Is there anything in particular you want for your birthday?" Yuugi asked, and Mokuba looked up. 

_Just a kiss._ He shook his head. "I'm not picky. But you know, I'm not feeling all here right now; I don't know if I can handle this whole tutoring thing. Sorry about that." 

"Don't worry; I don't mind helping. After all, what sort of bad things would happen if you failed a class?" Yuugi teased, closing the book, paper marking the chapter they had just been working on. 

"Just bad things," Mokuba humored, taking the book and shoving it in his bag. For all that stupidity, he STILL didn't know if Yuugi remembered, or even cared. He'd have to hit hard, and hit low... or just ask directly. He elected the former. 

"So, Yuugi, I hate to bother you, but could I ask another favor?" Mokuba looked down into his backpack, afraid to look up and see that Yuugi was irritated, or bored with him... 

"What?" 

Mokuba stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder; Yuugi didn't look bored, or resentful. If anything, he just looked curious. Mokuba took a deep breath and blurted, "I wanted to get something to wear for the party; one of those things I just want to feel all new for, you know? I was wondering if you'd like to help me go find something." It was a cheap shot – everyone and their uncle knew Yuugi had a thing for clothes. 

"That'd be great!" Yuugi's whole face seemed to light up and he cracked his knuckles. "I know some great places at the mall, and a couple others if we can't find anything there." 

"Awesome. Say tomorrow, after school?" 

Yuugi stood, holding out a hand to Mokuba across the table. Mokuba took it, smiling to himself. Giddy over a handshake – God, was he twelve again? "I'll pick you up there." They shook hands, and Mokuba took his hand back, shoving both hands in his pockets, hoping he wasn't grinning too goofily. 

"So it's a deal?" Mokuba called out as he left, turning and walking backwards towards the door. To his surprise, Yuugi flashed him a smirk, and his next works practically knocked Mokuba on his ass. 

"It's a date." 

**

-end chapter 4-

**

* * *

Thank you to Elsalhir for beta'ing! She's the best-est boss ever. heart 

fluff eats my soul. xx but there's three chapters left -- and I like the last half better, so with any luck, it'll be better. Or at least less.... gah, cheesy. ::ashes is hiding under the armchair in the corner:: 


	5. Chapter Five: July 5th

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**

Chapter Five: Wednesday, July 5th

**

Mokuba sighed and looked back down at his watch for what felt like the hundredth time since school let out. He'd been standing against the wall in front of school almost as soon as the bell had rang... and it had been twenty minutes. That was a long time when all he could hear in his head was "it's a date," like an incessant loop, teasing him... not to mention he was impatient to get along with his plan before he lost his nerve. He'd been taught how to keep his cool from the best, but he hadn't exactly been schooled in the ways of love and war. He hadn't wanted to ask Anzu; he could only handle asking for advice so many times before he started feeling ridiculous. 

Whistling to pass time, resisting the urge to pace, counting the seconds... It wasn't keeping Mokuba calm. Luckily, a little beat-up white car pulled in front of him – peeking into the open passenger window revealed it to be Yuugi's car. 

"Sorry!" Yuugi said as Mokuba entered the car and tossed his bag in the backseat. "I spaced the time." 

"Busy, eh?" Mokuba teased, smiling and buckling up. "Well, it's okay, but another twenty minutes and I might have given up on you." 

Yuugi laughed and took off; instinctively Mokuba clutched his seat – did all twenty year olds drive like raging psychos? Was it that important to get somewhere? "Who could abandon you?" Yuugi teased, letting go of the wheel enough to nudge Mokuba in the side with his elbow. Despite his first instinct to shout, 'Keep your hands on the wheel!', Mokuba felt his heart skip, and he smiled. It was the closest to flirty that he had ever seen Yuugi act, which said a lot in a good way, and a bad way. "So, is there some sort of dress code I should be aware of?" 

"Nope, just be dressed." 

"Damn it, and I planning on showing up in my birthday suit," Yuugi teased again, making a sharp turn towards the mall. Mokuba joined his laughter, grip on the seat tightening. Still, that was definitely flirting. 

Yuugi was flirting with him, and if he was flirting, then he probably remembered the deal... but even if he didn't, flirting meant that Mokuba at least still had an opportunity. That made Mokuba feel much better; Friday wouldn't have to be so frightening after all. 

They exchanged random banter along the way, but Mokuba was spending more time thinking about what he was going to show Yuugi when they arrived at the mall. Or what he hoped to show Yuugi; it wasn't like it was something he had seen himself. But if it all worked out... 

"Hey! Did you hear me?" 

Mokuba looked out the window – the car was parked between a truck and a purple convertible. "Oh!" He scurried out of the car, taking a second to make sure his wallet was in his pocket. "Sorry; I guess it's my turn to space." Yuugi laughed again – he was obviously in a good mood. Regardless, that was enough spacing for Mokuba; there was nothing sexy about zoning out. 

For some reason being there in the parking lot was enthusing, and Mokuba wasted no time in making his way to the mall itself – he challenged Yuugi to a race just so he could have a good excuse to run into the building – and even if Yuugi was just a little shorter than Mokuba, he was also just a little faster. It didn't matter who won, though, because Mokuba was quickly able to make his way into the first Yuugi-ish clothing shop that he saw. The interior was dim, but not necessarily dark, and there were clothes on racks and the walls – it all just oozed of the exact fashion Mokuba was looking for. 

"You think this'll be a good place?" he asked, looking over at Yuugi... only to discover that his companion was already inside the store, scouting a rack of pants. 

"I've been here; it's an awesome place," Yuugi said. 

Mokuba grinned and joined Yuugi at the rack, looking around for some pants that didn't look like they'd cut off circulation. At least there appeared to be some non-leather clothes in there too. "Good to hear; I've never been in a place like this before." He looked at a pair of pants – they were leather, which he wasn't too thrilled about, but they looked nice, and they were his size. "It doesn't look very comfortable," he admitted, internally adding, but it looks great on you. Yuugi's clothes had been one of the first things that caught Mokuba's attention, even at eleven. At first he had just been surprised by his style of dress, and after a while, he had confusedly liked it. 

"It's not as bad as it looks." 

"I'm sure." Mokuba winked and left the rack, finding some shirts to look through. There was one that caught his attention almost instantly; it was a silvery white, and it had a matte sort of shimmer to it. It looked good on the hanger, and it wasn't so flashy that Mokuba felt ridiculous... He grabbed it and turned to Yuugi, who was still ardently looking at pants. "Come on, I want your opinion on this." He held up the clothes and headed back towards the dressing room, locking himself in before Yuugi caught up. 

Okay, so he was nervous; he'd never purposely dressed up for attention, and he'd never worn anything quite like what he was going to try on... He had no assurance that it would look right on him, and he'd feel like a complete ass if it didn't work out after he had taken such care to bring Yuugi along. "No guts, no glory," he grumbled to himself, stripping out of his uniform and putting on the pants. They were snugger than what he was used to, but Yuugi hadn't been lying; they weren't as bad as they looked either. Next came the shirt; he left the top two buttons undone, more out of laziness than for any aesthetic reason. He stared at himself in the mirror, looking at his reflection. Despite all his worries, he looked a lot better than he had hoped, and he didn't look as over the top as he had been worried about either. In fact, he'd go so far to say he looked good; he'd never noticed how much he'd grown. He didn't look at all twelve anymore; he was leaner than he had realized, and taller – he was sort of starting to resemble his brother more. 

And it had taken a pair of leather pants to get him to notice. 

"Let's see already," Yuugi said impatiently. Mokuba took a deep breath and opened the dressing room door, standing there and feeling like a display. Yuugi whistled low, looking over the outfit from head to feet; Mokuba had to try his damnedest not to squirm under the scrutiny. 

"Well?" 

Yuugi looked up at him, flashing him a lop-sided grin. "You've got good taste, but..." He stepped forward, messing up Mokuba's hair a little; the teen felt the nerves up his spine tingle as Yuugi's hands brushed his shoulders. "It looked a little too neat." 

"I fix it for school," Mokuba said, nodding. "So it looks good?" 

"Yeah. You're going all out for your fifteenth birthday; you'd think it was a big milestone." Yuugi laughed, wrapping an arm around Mokuba's shoulders, and turning them towards the mirror. If he hadn't promised to wait until he was fifteen, Mokuba would've tried to make a move then and there. As it stood, he just blushed and grinned proudly, examining the picture he and Yuugi made in the mirror. Come to look at it, Yuugi was taller too – weird, the things he noticed when he had to look. "I can't wait until your eighteenth birthday – if this is the celebration just for fifteen..." 

Just for... Damn it! "Heh, yeah," Mokuba answered, laughing just a little nervously. "I – " 

"Hey, Yuugi, Mokuba!" 

Mokuba looked over to see Jounouchi coming towards them, smiling. Almost immediately Yuugi's arm fell from around Mokuba and he went to meet Jounouchi, wrapping him in a half-hug. "Where've you been?" the shorter male asked, lingering for a second before letting Jounouchi go. Mokuba felt that stupid pit in his stomach again; it was almost as upsetting as the fact that he wasn't happy to see Jounouchi. "I haven't seen you for a couple days." 

Jounouchi answered, "You know, here, there – we'll make up for it tonight. So, Mokuba, is this for Friday?" Mokuba nodded, and Jounouchi whistled much like Yuugi had. "Well chosen; looks like you've been taking advice from the best." Jounouchi winked, and Mokuba smiled, turning to go back in the dressing room. 

It looked like Jounouchi knew all about who was the best. "Thanks." Mokuba had to leave them for a second – little things bugged him, like Jounouchi's comment about making up for not being around – that seemed implicative enough by itself, even without that lingering little hug... And the fact that Yuugi had been sort of hugging him when Jounouchi showed up... He was jealous. 

_Positive thinking, Mokuba – positive thinking..._

Just as he exited the dressing room, Yuugi caught him. "Hey, are you hungry? If you're done here, we can go order some food at the food court for you and meet you there." 

We. As in, all three of them. Together. Mokuba forced a little smile and shifted the clothes in his hands. "Sounds great; I'm gonna buy this." 

"Alright," Jounouchi cheered. "Anything you want?" 

Mokuba shook his head, heading for the cashier. "Anything. Thanks." 

"Not a problem." His two elders went to the exit, and Mokuba waited in line, scowling to himself. 

Dinner hadn't been something he expected, and wasn't something he was sure he could handle... He looked over towards the exit, and was greeted with the sight of Jounouchi leaning down and whispering something to Yuugi as they walked out. Just when Mokuba was pretty damn sure that he couldn't feel any worse, the blond swatted Yuugi's backside. That was when Mokuba turned back to the line so fast that his hair nearly caught him in the face. In the span of ten minutes he'd managed to go from excitedly thinking that Yuugi remembered to being sure once and for all that he had forgotten – and not just forgotten, but hooked up with Jounouchi in the mean time. 

No amount of positive thinking was going to fix that. 

Mokuba bought his clothes, meandering towards the food court. If it was like he suspected, then he'd just have to be a bigger man and accept defeat with a smile... 

Somehow. 

**-end chapter five-**

* * *

**notes**  
Again, thank you to Elsalhir for beta'ing! She roxx0rz! 

I like this chapter more than the rest; the next two I'm rather fond of two... that it takes me four chapters to get to a point where I kinda like it, I think might be odd, but that is o-kay. XD Anyway... yeah, that's all. 


	6. Chapter Six: July 6th

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Thursday, July 6th**

"Hey, shouldn't you be in school?" Dai asked as Mokuba slinked out of the elevator, digging the key to his office out of his pocket. 

"I'm making up for last weekend," Mokuba grumbled, stopping at his door and unlocking it. 

"Does your brother know?" 

"Probably; news gets faster to him than light," Mokuba said. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Dai right then, or anyone for that matter. "But just in case, don't call him." With that he went inside, closing the door behind him and locking it for good measure. He really did intend to work, but mostly because he couldn't concentrate – he didn't want to deal with school, or Anzu asking how yesterday had gone. Then he'd have to admit that it hadn't gone well at all. 

Maybe if he hadn't been so suspicious of Yuugi and Jounouchi, then he might have had fun. The other two had been in a great mood, and they were almost as excited about the party as he was. They asked all sorts of questions about what he had planned, if his brother would be there, what sort of food there would be… Normally it would have been a blast to eat dinner and bullshit with them, but the whole time all Mokuba could wonder about was what "we'll make up for it tonight" was supposed to mean. 

He had an overactive imagination. 

Mokuba sat down, looking over his cluttered desk. Damn it, which pile had he been working on the other day? Rather than think about it too hard, he reached for the printer and grabbed a random piece of paper, found a pencil, and settled down to begin yet another stick figure masterpiece to keep his mind busy while he waited for the answer to come to him. 

Unfortunately, he was wondering about the wrong question. 

--

_"C'mon, Yuugi, one little kiss before you go," Mokuba pleaded, giving the teen his best puppy eyes. _

"But we just made a deal," Yuugi reminded him. "Three years, and I'll give you the best kiss ever." He tapped Mokuba on the lips with his index finger, smiling. Mokuba blushed at the contact; he almost forgot what he was arguing about. 

"B-but it's like… uh… A sample or something! You know, like samples you get at the grocery store, right?" 

"Mokuba – " 

"Please? I swear I won't ask for another for three whole years." 

Yuugi laughed, bowing his head for a minute. "Fine," he conceded. "But just a small one. And I hope you know you're the only person I'd break my morals for." He tapped Mokuba again, this time just under his chin to make the boy look up, and gave him a chaste little kiss. Mokuba felt like he was the reddest a person could get as Yuugi pulled away. "There. Now be patient, okay?" 

Mokuba nodded. "Okay." 

--

"Oh yeah," Mokuba mumbled. That had been why three years of waiting was worth it. There had been something about that little kiss that made Mokuba feel so… warm, nice, like everything was right, or some stupid cliché like that. And then came along Jounouchi, the friend-turned-unwitting-rival… Mokuba sighed and looked down at his doodle – little stick figure Jounouchi was getting bashed in the head with a hammer by a stick figure version of himself. Mokuba cracked a little smile at the image. Now, where to put Yuugi… 

"It's nice to see we share feelings about Jounouchi, but what's with this?" 

Mokuba snapped up and looked back to see Seto standing behind him, one eyebrow raised as he looked down at Mokuba's drawing. "Uh, I thought that since I've been skipping so much work lately – " 

"I meant the picture," Seto interjected, inclining his head toward the desk. "I thought you were friends with him." 

"Well, I am, but… Remember when I told you that I was interested in Yuugi?" Seto nodded. "That's only half the story." Mokuba took a deep breath and rushed out, "We made a deal that he'd give me a kiss for my birthday, but I don't think he remembers, and I think he's with Jounouchi." 

Seto's reply was instantaneous: "What makes you think he forgot?" 

It was exactly the question that Mokuba didn't want to answer; he had been hoping to skip over as many details as possible. "We haven't talked about it in three years." He looked down at his drawing again, but he could feel Seto's stare on the back of his neck. 

"In…" Seto moved, taking a seat across from Mokuba. "Let me make sure I follow: when you were twelve, you negotiated with Yuugi for a birthday kiss when you turn fifteen?" 

Mokuba looked up at his brother and nodded. "Right." 

"But you never talked about it?" 

"Not really, no." 

"Okay," Seto sighed. "I… Yuugi, he's… a good guy. He wouldn't change his mind without explanation, not if he made a promise. He agreed willingly, right?" Mokuba nodded. "Then don't give up to Jounouchi so soon. Wait until tomorrow before you concede to defeat. Now, if you're going to skip school, that's fine, but I'm not going to call in and excuse you unless you actually work." 

"I will, but you need to call me in for tomorrow while you're at it," Mokuba said, grinning up at his brother. 

"Deal." With that Seto was gone, and Mokuba looked down at the drawing. After a second he crinkled it up and tossed it into the trash can, finally starting his computer and grabbing a random pile of papers. 

**

-end chapter six-

**

* * *

**notes**  
See next chapter. XD 


	7. Chapter Seven: July 7th

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: July 7th**

The plan for the day was simple: Mokuba wanted be out of bed around ten, spend the morning helping the cooks get food ready, decorate a little, relax a lot, get dressed, and be ready when people were supposed to arrive. 

Instead, he barely rolled out of bed at one. He rushed into the kitchen in his pajamas only to learn that the staff had already started cooking. "Maybe it's a sign that you weren't meant for the kitchen," the cook teased, handing him some leftover yakisoba. "Eat some, and go have some fun." Mokuba conceded to that, ate his breakfast, and devoted the next half hour of his morning making the living room look good. 

From there, the hours disappeared into a blur of nerves; before he knew it he was inspecting himself in the mirror, wearing the outfit he had gotten at the mall. It was almost five… Amazing, how the time went by when he was anticipating what would happen. "Remember – it's not over until he leaves the house," he reminded himself, smoothing his shirt down his chest for the fifth time since he had been dressed. After all, he had to anticipate the best, and… 

"Hey!" Mokuba jumped as someone pounded on his bedroom door. It took a second for Mokuba to realize it was Seto on the other side. "Someone's here. I'll be in the den if you need me. Enjoy yourself." 

Mokuba glanced in the mirror one more time before leaving the room, grinning at Seto as he made his way down the stairs. The first guest was a girl from his class, and she hugged him the second he was close enough. "Happy birthday! Where should I put your gift?" 

"Uh, on the coffee table," Mokuba said, returning her hug before she scooted off in search of where to set down her small box. A low whistle came from the doorway, and Mokuba looked up to see Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Anzu standing there. 

"The party hasn't even started, and you're already killin' the ladies," Jounouchi teased, making his way into the living room. "I got you the best gift, so be ready." 

Anzu was followed by Yuugi, and she tossed her box to Jounouchi so she could give him a hug – Mokuba gawked as Jounouchi dropped it on the coffee table; he'd been so wrapped up in what he would or wouldn't get from Yuugi that he hadn't even thought of what he might get from everyone else. "Happy birthday," she said, kissing his cheek. In a whisper she added, "Good luck!" before going after Jounouchi. 

"It really does look great," Yuugi said, gesturing towards Mokuba's outfit. He then smiled and held out what sort of looked like a clothes box, blushing slightly. "Jou's gift was really small, so it's in here with mine." Mokuba nodded. 

As much as he would have loved to talk to Yuugi the whole time, it would have to wait – he noticed there were some more people coming in. "Thanks." He hugged Yuugi around the shoulders before he rushed over to greet his other classmates. 

Surprisingly, Mokuba didn't have too much time to focus on Yuugi. First he had been greeting people, then introducing them – he had almost introduced Yuugi and Jounouchi as boyfriends twice. Anzu got a video game contest going; it was a racing game, and the whole thing took nearly an hour for everyone to complete – and eventually, Yuugi won. Of course, as all good things must come to an end, so did Mokuba's lack of anticipation – he had almost forgotten about his potential kiss; he was sprawled on the floor, talking to one of his friends about the game when Jounouchi said, "Mokuba, open your presents already!" Mokuba froze mid-sentence; he didn't want to admit that he wasn't looking forward to opening presents. He was having such a good time… 

"Alright," he conceded. "Hand one over." 

Most of his classmates got him cards with a note saying that they didn't know what to get, with the exception of the first girl to arrive and a guy that sat behind him in homeroom. The girl got him a wallet, and the guy got him a simple white t-shirt and a black marker with a note that said, 'make your own message'. It was crafty, but Anzu's gift beat it on oddness. Mokuba opened second to last. He looked into the box, then up at Anzu; she had one hand covering her mouth to hide her giggles. All Mokuba could think to do was shake his head and pull out the stuffed toy to show everyone. 

"A koala?" a classmate asked. "Dude, what's with the koala?" 

Yuugi plucked it from Mokuba's hands, hugging it and smiling broadly. "Yep, it's a good one: very huggable. Anzu, you're the best." Mokuba was doing his damnedest not to laugh at Yuugi's coddling of the toy, and even more not to snatch it back and say, "Hey, hug me instead!" Still, watching him was nice. Even if Mokuba didn't get his kiss, Yuugi's company was good enough. After all, how many friends would he have that would find the humor in a stuffed koala, or win a video game tournament without boasting? And no one else would be nice enough to tutor him, and help him find clothes, or even have humored Mokuba when he was twelve. If nothing else, Mokuba had to be grateful for Yuugi's friendship. It made potential disappointment bearable. 

"Hey, open ours!" Jounouchi demanded with a wicked grin, holding the box out to Mokuba. "It's the best." Mokuba smiled and nodded, bowing his head and taking a deep breath as he peeled back the wrapping paper. Opening the box was probably one of the single most non-threatening-but-exciting things he had done in a long time, and he almost closed his eyes as he did it. 

Then again, if he had closed his eyes, he wouldn't have seen the pair of black boxers and another small gift-wrapped box. "Yuugi got those," Jounouchi explained, pointing at the underwear; Mokuba blushed, imagining Yuugi running around trying to find him underwear. "The other box is from me." 

"I wanted nothing to do with it," Yuugi laughed as Mokuba picked it up. "That way your brother knows exactly whose ass needs to be kicked when he finds out." 

"Like he could catch me," Jounouchi snorted as Mokuba opened the box. Actually, with all the subtle warnings he had just gotten from Yuugi, he should've been more careful about opening it, just in case Jounouchi got something goofy, or embarrassing – 

Mokuba dropped the unwrapped box onto the boxers, blushing straight up to his ears. Only Jounouchi would think that a box of condoms was an appropriate gift. "I, uh…" Mokuba covered his mouth, mostly to hide his smile, and ignored the laughter and protests from his friends. "I'm going to go get some food," he managed to squeak out. "Wait here." Before he stood he noticed that Jounouchi had taped a note to the box; he grabbed it as he straightened up, balling it into his fist and making a break for the kitchen. 

"Need something?" the cook asked when he arrived. 

"Ah, just the food," Mokuba laughed, touching one of his cheeks. He was still blushing. 

"Got it." She went to a cart that had been prepared, pushing it towards the living room and leaving Mokuba alone in the kitchen. 

"A box of condoms," he muttered, laughing slightly and smoothing out the note in his fist. "Just wanted to make sure that you're prepared for whatever the night might throw at you," he read aloud. 

"Got any plans?" Yuugi asked; Mokuba nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around to face the older male. Yuugi was smiling, and it only served to make Mokuba blush more. "Being fifteen, I mean." 

"Oh! No, not really," Mokuba admitted. In truth, he hadn't really thought past the act of turning fifteen; the rest of the year hardly seemed all that important. 

"Weird; you've been so hyped about it. I figured you had some huge plans. Anyway…" 

It could have been Mokuba's imagination, but he swore that Yuugi's smile was quickly turning into a smirk. He blinked and licked his lips. "Huh?" Everything seemed like slow motion as Yuugi touched his cheek, leaning in… And of course, it was all back to normal as Yuugi's lips touched his – chaste as first, but Mokuba didn't hesitate to let Yuugi's tongue delve in further, gripping Yuugi's shoulders and trying weakly to get closer to him. It turned out better than anything Mokuba had anticipated – it was well worth waiting three years for. When it was over, all he could think to say was, "You remembered." 

"You're the one who assumed I forgot," Yuugi teased, stepping back to put more space between them, effectively ruining Mokuba's plans of demanding another kiss. "Who in their right mind would forget a thing like that?" 

Mokuba blushed, but couldn't come up with a wiseass retort; he'd spent most his time thinking about it, after all. "Uh… Yeah. So this means you're not sleeping with Jou, right? Because that would really suck if I found out that you were after all." 

Yuugi laughed, touching Mokuba's shoulder. "No – Jou's known about this birthday thing forever, since you asked – that's when he planned to get you… well, what he got you." It was Mokuba's turn to laugh; Yuugi was blushing! "And Anzu – " 

"She knew?" Mokuba asked, eyes going wide. She didn't… 

"For about a month." 

She did. She had deliberately watched him panic and kept it from him. 

"You have no idea how much shit I got from her for letting you think I forgot… but it was hilarious watching you try to remind me without saying anything," Yuugi admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I'm supposed to apologize for that." 

Mokuba sighed and nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah, yeah, you asshole," he said half-heartedly, waving a hand toward Yuugi. "But part of this plan was to see if we wanted to be – " 

"Hey!" a classmate called from the hall. "The food's here, Mokuba; you comin' or what?" 

"Better head back," Yuugi said, shoving both his hands in his pockets. "Just… check your gift a little more carefully." Yuugi winked and turned to leave. It took Mokuba a whole ten seconds to regain his composure before following. 

Check the gift, eh? Mokuba grabbed a plate and reclaimed his spot on the floor, picking up the box from Yuugi, covertly ignoring Jounouchi's gift. He hooked one finger around the waistband of the boxers and held them up, examining them carefully as he took a bite of his food. They didn't look extraordinary: just black, with a tag… 

On the wrong side. 

Mokuba blinked and set his food down, looking closer. The tag was a little too big to be a regular tag, and it was safety pinned-on. On closer inspection, he just grinned and looked up. Yuugi was on the other side of the room, talking and laughing with Anzu. 

**Property of Mutou Yuugi.**

Mokuba shook his head and looked at the tag one last time before dropping the boxers back into the box. 

**-end-**

* * *

**notes**  
OMG -- ::calms down:: Okay. **THANK YOU** to elsalhir for sticking with this cracked out story. You're wonderful, dear. ::hug:: And **THANK YOU** reader-people for sitting through its entirety as well. :) On a side note: thank you to darkmus for being one of the big reasons I wrote this thing to start with. XD Hopefully she enjoyed her joke in this chapter. 

And... I don't think I forgot anything. Did I? If so, I apologize. Have a good one! 


End file.
